15 October 2008

Good News For NI With Hi-Tech Jobs Boost

While today's news that jobs lost in the construction industry has helped to push NI's unemeployment figure upward in the last quarter is being digested, there's other news in counterpoint today - of a jobs boost instead.

A Canadian communications company has said it will create 60 jobs when it establishes its European headquarters in Northern Ireland.

North American telecommunications company BTI Systems is to establish a £6 million European headquarters and software centre of excellence in Belfast.

The investment, supported by Invest Northern Ireland, was announced by Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster, who earlier today, had blamed the slow-down in the housing market on the newly announced level of unemployment.

"The slow-down in the housing market and wider construction industry in particular is having a large impact, with former construction workers accounting for the majority of the rise in benefit claimants during September," she said.

The Northern Ireland unemployment rate rose by 0.2% over the last quarter to 4.3%, which is below the UK average joblessness rate of 5.7%.

However, the better news was also revealed later in the day, with BTI Systems, a global supplier of 'Intelligent Service Edge' solutions set to invest £6.7 million in the region creating 60 high quality jobs over the next three years.

Speaking at this more positive announcement, the Minister (pictured with Invest NI's Leslie Morrison and Gregory Koss, Chairman BTI) said the high quality software engineering posts will "deliver an additional £2.3 million annually in wages and salaries into the local economy".

"This project is the culmination of over 12 months' work by Invest Northern Ireland and will provide high value career opportunities and contribute to Northern Ireland's growing ICT sector."

She said: "This new European base will allow BTI Systems to access the highly skilled people and knowledge infrastructure that have attracted some of the world's most prestigious technology firms to Northern Ireland," also explaining that she was looking forward to meeting with US representatives from BTI Systems in Boston when the Invest NI Trade Mission to Boston and San Francisco takes place, later this month.

Gregory Koss, Chairman BTI Systems added: "The BTI Systems Belfast headquarters will be our main centre of operation in Europe, bringing us closer to new and existing customers and enabling us to continue our rapid growth in the EMEA region.

"Northern Ireland offers many advantages as a regional hub. BTI plans to leverage the local talent pool to grow the company's software development efforts, expand its global footprint, and continue to deliver best-in-class technologies and solutions to the European marketplace."

BTI Systems is said to be a global leader in the development of advanced optical telecoms solutions and specialises in innovative products which enable the transport of data at high speed, primarily via fibre optic networks.

(BMcC)